Renowned Malayalam actor Kalasala Babu passed away on the night of 13 May in Ernakulam. He was 68. Babu was suffering from heart ailments and had been undergoing for several months, reports The News Minute. After being admitted at Amritha Hospital in Kochi, the actor passed away due to cerebral hemorrhage.

Kalasala Babu. Image from Facebook/Indywood TV

The actor shared screen space with several top notch actors such as Mohanlal, Mammootty and Prithviraj. Son of Kathakali virtuoso Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair and Mohiniyattam exponent Kalamandalam Kalyanikutty Amma, Babu got his first break with the 1981 Malayalam film Inaye thedi. After that, he went on to form his own theatre group and named it Kalasala. The group performed over nine acclaimed plays after going separate ways in 1980.

In a career spanning over four decades, Babu was seen in a variety or roles — mostly negative or extremely complicated. He has over 50 films to his credit, most memorable being Thuruppu Gulan, Runway, Pokkiriraja, Kaaryasthan and College Kumaran. He also did theatre sporadically with a company known as Chalakudy Sarathy. The actor was also seen on the small screen briefly in Kala, a 13-episode serial.

He is survived by his wife Lalitha and two children. His daughter Sreedevi lives in the USA while his son Viswanthan resides in Ireland.